The Reineke family of dealerships was started 55 years ago on August 26, 1960, when Bill Reineke, Sr. opened his first car dealership at 130 East Tiffin Street in Fostoria, Ohio. The dealership -- then known as Reineke Buick Oldsmobile - quickly found its footing in the community, and in 1962 moved to a larger building just down the street. Bill Sr. was welcomed into the Ford Motor Company family of dealers in 1967, and in the early 1970's, a brand new Reineke Ford dealership was built at 1303 Perrysburg Road, just north of Fostoria. The store opened for business on January 15, 1972 and remains in that location today.
The opportunity to expand outside the Fostoria area came in 1984, when Tiffin Ford Lincoln Mercury on Market Street was purchased by Bill Sr. A third location sprouted in Celina; Reineke-Mitchell Ford Lincoln Mercury stayed in the family until it was sold in 1999.
The Fostoria and Tiffin locations added collision centers to their campuses in the late '90s, and in April of 2001, Tiffin Ford Lincoln Mercury moved to a new location at 2020 West State Route 18. The original Reineke Ford underwent a facelift that year, as well, with an expansive remodeling of its showroom.
Two new outposts of the Reineke brand appeared in the mid-aughts: Reineke Lincoln Mercury Mazda landed in Lima in 2005, and Reineke Chevrolet Buick Pontiac made its Upper Sandusky debut in 2006. The Upper Sandusky store was relinquished due to government action in the midst of the auto industry restructuring in 2008. Reineke Motors, selling Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep products, moved into the building to replace it that same year.
In July 2009, Reineke Ford Lincoln Mercury in Findlay joined the network of the Reinekes' northwest Ohio dealerships. In 2010, the dissolution of the Mercury brand by Ford Motor Company led many of our stores to drop Mercury from their store names. Because of Ford's decision to drop Mercury, further expansion of our stores came in Lima in 2011 with the acquisition of the Nissan brand and the purchase of Reineke Ford Lincoln of Lima. A Lima collision center followed just a few months later.
The early 2010s saw a lot of construction dust as both the Lima locations underwent renovations; the Nissan store remodel was finished in May 2013 and the Reineke Ford Lincoln of Lima remodel was completed in December of that year. Additionally, Keith Jordan's 10 & Under, located next to the Nissan store on N. Cable Rd., was purchased in April 2013 to house the Mazda franchise. It was renamed Reineke's 10 & Under. In June of 2014, Reineke Family Dealerships ended its Mazda franchise agreement.
The Reineke family celebrates 55 years of business in August 2015 thanks to overwhelming support from communities and loyal customers across northwest Ohio. We look forward to another 55 years of service!
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